It can be advantageous to secure a device to the exterior of an aircraft. For example, aerial photography and surveillance may call for a camera to be mounted to the exterior of the aircraft. In other situations, other exterior-mounted objects, such as signal receivers (antenna, radio or satellite receivers, etc.), radar (such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR)), sensors, or other devices, may be mounted to the exterior of the aircraft.
In many cases, general purpose aviation aircraft, especially fixed wing aircraft, are not manufactured with such exterior-mounted objects integrated therewith. Accordingly, the exterior-mounted objects may be attached to the exterior of the aircraft. Such attaching, however, often requires modification to the aircraft, such as drilling holes or otherwise modifying the structure of the aircraft. These modifications may trigger requirements that the modified aircraft be determined (e.g., via inspection) to be in compliance with regulations promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration, state or local rulemaking authorities, or other federal authorities.